On ice cream, koalas, and lagoons (loosely)

Last Friday was Busch Gardens Day, and although Howl O Scream was less scary than freshman year, it had alligators, snakes, owls and rainbow lorikeets that I got to hold, and a new ride called Europe in the Air, which was a pretty spectacular flight simulator. Busch Gardens still has my favourite ice cream: pralines and cream with hot fudge and strawberries in a freshly made waffle cone. Mm mmm. 🙂 On Saturday, the president of Gabon gave a speech in the great hall about a sustainable Africa, and then afterwards, my friends and I were invited to the president’s gallery for tea and biscuits. On Saturday night, my grains professor, Professor Zahavi-Ely, invited my class over to her house for an AMAZING dinner. We sat on her lake-front deck under the stars and festive decorations and there was incredible food and great conversation. Professor Ely cooked mushroom and barley soup, salmon, brie and olive oil that her sister made, olives, grapes, tiny cherry tomatoes, figs, cauliflower, and chocolate cupcakes. Sooo good! Sunday was homework day and swimming!

This past week was crazy. I decided at the last minute that I wanted to study abroad, so the week was dedicated to applying to study abroad and to putting together a new team for my summer service trip. Fortunately, it wasn’t a very homework-intensive week. On Tuesday, my grains class went to a temple and made matza! We grinded and sifted wheat berries with a mortar and pestle, and then we added water and salt, kneaded and rolled out the dough and baked it. Delicious! At the end of the week, I have a great new team for Destination China, and I’ve applied to study abroad in Adelaide, Australia! I really hope I get in! I actually spent a long time wondering whether I should study abroad because looking at schools abroad, I kept thinking about how much more I like William and Mary, but I’ve decided that I’m too comfortable here and need to step outside my comfort zone and look at fuzzy endemic creatures like koalas and platypuses!

This weekend was really fun! Friday after class, my boyfriend Talbot and I went canoeing on Lake Matoaka. William and Mary’s got this great boathouse where you can take out canoes and kayaks for free and paddle along the lake any day of the week, and it’s sooo wonderful and tranquil. We paddled to a lagoon and ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and the weather was perfect, and paddling back to shore, the late afternoon sunlight made everything warm and beautiful. After canoeing, Talbot and I met up with his dad because it’s family weekend, and then we found his brother and went to Harvest Moon, which is a production and dinner put on by the Chinese and Vietnamese student organizations. Afterwards, I hung out with my freshman hallmates in one of their rooms and we played a version of bananagrams, I forget what it was called, which was super fun! Yesterday, I hung out with my current hallmates in the eco house and ate vegan cupcakes, and then my parents came and we had a lovely dinner at Aroma’s of shrimp and grits, scallops, house salad, and carrot cake. At the end of their stay, we met up with Talbot and headed over to the Matoaka amphitheater and attended an a cappella showcase, which was amazing, but unfortunately it was coooold outside, so my parents regretfully left early. Today is Sunday, so I now I have to do homework. 🙁 Overall, a fun and productive week!